Start Again
by BlueLionSTL
Summary: Consequences of the team having to leave Arus. K&A fluffy. Sorry, page breaks aren't where they are supposed to be which messes with the flow.


Start Again

By BlueLionSTL

Earth.

Keith's stoic face reflected back at him from the mirrored walls of the Garrison dojo. As he lifted his dark eyes to look closer at himself, he realized how aged and gaunt he appeared. Shadows cast themselves beneath his eyes and in the hollows of his cheeks. He was pale. His eyes sunken and without spirit. Frankly, he appeared quite broken.

It had been difficult for him to eat. He consumed a bite or two of rations every few days, his will to live faltering. This was the commander of the Voltron Force on Earth instead of Arus.

Sighing deeply, Keith stood from his kneeling position. He couldn't even meditate anymore. He felt spiraled out of control into a vast spance of nothingness. He pressed his head against the mirrored wall and squeezed his eyes shut. Damn Galaxy Garrisson, he thought. Although he hated doing so, he let his mind wander back to home. To Black Lion. To her...

A sudden explosion of angst, rage and pain swelled up from his core. Keith let out an anguished cry and slammed his fist into the mirror, shattering it into pieces. Letting out a sob, he opened his eyes to see a more accurate reflection of himself, splintered and destroyed.

The sound of the door swishing open made Keith lift his eyes to view the room's new occupant. He let out a grunt and moved away, squeezing his bloodied fist. "What do you want, Lance?"

Lance folded his arms over his chest, taking in the state of his friend and the dojo. "For a moment I thought you needed some reinforcements. But I see it's only yourself you are warring with again."

"Leave me," Keith whispered harshly. He kept his back to him.

Lance gave a sigh. "Keith, you are my brother. I can't stand seeing you like this. Why not get out of here for a while? You aren't doing anyone any favors like this."

Keith turned toward him and spat out, "Favors?! FAVORS?! Why the hell should I do anyone a FAVOR, Lance? We saved an entire planet...the galaxy! We rid the universe of the Drules and all I wanted was to remain on Arus with..." Angry tears threatened to spill as her name traced across his mind. He couldn't form the word, fearing saying it aloud would make the pain crush him completely.

Lance moved toward him and gripped his shoulders. "Keith...I know. We all do. It killed you more than anyone to leave her. We had no say in the matter and neither did she." Keith groaned and collapsed in his friend's arms.

Letting out a sob, the words spilled out. "I can't live without her, Lance. I love her. And she's gone." Lance held him up. How could he fix this? Sure the rest of the team was struggling with being without their lions, their connection to the mystical robots being a critical part of their souls for the past decade. How could anyone expect them to go back to how they were before Voltron? If GG really thought they could extract their skills here on Earth, they were sorely mistaken.

Lance let out a frustrated grunt as he held his broken friend, his own heart shattering for him.

Hours later, Lance entered Admiral Graham's office. Snapping into a salute, he fought back bile as it rose in disgust he felt for GG. But Admiral Graham had always been an advocate for them. He knew he was the reason they weren't transferred off of Arus sooner.

Admiral Graham slowly stood to return the salute. Having aged, deep lines cut across his face and spread along the corners of his eyes. Yet beneath the loss of youth, he had a hardened exterior and was difficult to read. Lance knew little of his personal life, but he was fairly sure he was alone, married to the Garrison. Eyeing Lance briefly for a moment, he muttered in a gruff voice, "At ease, lieutenant." He eased his aged body back into his chair. "What can I do for you, Lance?"

"Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Granted."

Lance took a breath. "I am concerned of the state of my team. Specifically Keith. Have you seen him lately?"

Graham raised a bushy grey eyebrow. "I have not, not since your arrival back home four months ago."

"With all due respect, sir, Earth is no longer home to any of us," Lance quipped. "And quite frankly, it is killing Keith to be here."

Graham let out a scoff. "Nonsense! Keith Kogane is the epitome of a Garrison soldier and surely can adapt to being back where he-"

Lance slammed his hands on the surface of the desk between them and stood. "Dammit, Admiral! Keith is my brother and being away from Arus has turned him into nothing more but a shell of your great commander! He is useless to you here, we all are! You may as well throw us all in detention because the Voltron Force refuses to do a goddamn thing for Garrison anymore!"

Admiral Graham's lips had mashed together into a thin line. He did not handle being interrupted or talked at in such a manner. "I gave you permission to speak freely, Lance. Not verbally attack." The tenor in his voice was strained. "However, you know Commander Kogane better than he knows his own shadow. May I ask why being away from Arus is so difficult? What is so wrong with Earth that all four of my best pilots in history are willing to throw away their freedom in spite of being here?"

Lance sighed and raked a hand through his mousey brown hair. "Admiral, Keith is in love with Princess Allura. They have a connection I have never seen before. It is more than love, more than soulmates. They physically hurt being separated. After being together for a decade, you cannot expect that he can go back to what he was. We were barely adults when you sent us there."

"And does her majesty return this sentiment to him?" Graham held his bifocals in his hand against his chin. It was a common stance for him to have while he pondered.

"I believe so, sir. I would highly wager that Allura is in the same state as Keith. And the rest of us will fight for their union, and to be back with our lions. Admiral..." Lance sat back down in his seat, covering his face with his hands. He took a breath and continued. "You are the only hope I have. You will be retiring soon, and nobody else has the experience and knowledge of this team like you do. Nobody else can free us to go back to Arus. For Keith's sake, I hope you will consider it."

Graham tapped his glasses against his chin, deep in thought. After a few quiet moments, and staring at the exasperated Lance, he considered carefully his words. "I will place a call to Arus and confer with her majesty. Last I heard were rumors of a prince consort being sought so she could become queen."

Lance smirked. "She would never marry without love, sir. We wouldn't allow it."

"And you aren't there."

Lance's face fell and his shoulders slumped. With sudden fervor, he leaned in toward Graham. "Please, Admiral, call her right now! She has to know about Keith before she makes a mistake! We will lose him forever!"

Graham gave a nod and turned to his control panel. Selecting a few icons on the screen, he opened a comlink to the Castle of Lions.

"This is Admiral Graham of Galaxy Garrison requesting communication." His deep voice carried over the mic. After heartbreakingly long seconds, a familiar voice came over the com and a known face appeared.

"Greetings from Arus, Admiral. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Coran's image spoke to him before seeing Lance over Graham's shoulder. "Lance! Pleasure to see you, son!"

Lance grinned. "Hey old man, how is everything? It's good to see you."

"Quite busy, actually. Um.." he stammered. "The princess is set to announce her prince consort this evening."

"NO!" cried Lance. "Coran, you can't make her do this!"

Coran looked at Lance with sad eyes. "My boy, this was something she decided of her own free will. When the team left, she was lost. She has since buried herself in duties and elected to marry." His voice softened. "She has nothing left to lose now."

"Coran, Keith loves her. He is a wreck. Broken. And I think Allura loves him, too," Lance pressed his palms together in a silent prayer.

Coran sighed. "Of that I have no doubt. I have known for some time. However she cannot abandon her people to be on Earth, and it is my understanding your new assignments are keeping Keith and all of you there," Coran shot a bitter look toward Graham. "I have raised her since she was a child, and with how she has been since the loss of the Force...well, I would almost wish she was with her parents. She deserves better than this. You all do."

"Ok, Admiral," Lance leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "How do you get us back there by tonight?"

Lance burst into Keith's room, causing him to jerk up out of his bed. "Lance! What the hell?"

Lance flew like a tornado around his room, stuffing clothes in a duffle. "No questions, Keith. We have to go, and we have to go NOW."

"Go? Go where?" Keith felt his heart race. He was suspicious but trusted his teammate as he tugged on a flightsuit.

Lance spun and looked at him. Breaking out a classic grin of his younger days, Lance answered him. "Home."

The shuttle ripped through the atmosphere of Arus. Keith's knuckles were white against the control, his face stern. As the beauty of the planet shone through the clouds, each of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"Arus..." sighed Pidge longingly.

"HOME!" cheered Hunk, waving his arm in the air.

Breathing deeply through his nose, Keith whispered her name for the first time in weeks. "Allura..."

As they approached the castle, a familiar rumble filled the air.

"Look!" Pidge pointed to something below. Black Lion had gone from a laying position on its guard post to a seated position. Eyes glowing, Black reared up and let out the mightiest roar they had ever heard. It was deafening, and soon the echoes of the other lions from their dens joined the chorus.

Lance grinned. "Our kitties are happy we are home. Can't this thing go any faster?"

Keith felt the light begin to flicker back into his eyes as the shuttle came to a soft landing on a platform of the castle. Ripping the belt from his seat, he pushed past his friends to the exit ramp. He slammed the panel with his hand to open it. Frustrated with the speed, he tucked his leg beneath him and slid down the narrow opening.

Stepping out onto the platform, Keith took a breath of the sweet Arusian air, noticing a fragrance his heart knew in the air. He raised a hand to shade his eyes from the sun to see figures in the distance near the castle entrance. Formalities be damned, Keith raced toward them. As his eyes focused, he could make out her familiar shape. The full skirt that nipped in around her waist. The golden tressed dusting along her hips. He felt his feet stop and his heart swell as his eyes came to rest on her face. Her icy blue eyes swam with tears. She looked tired, broken. As if she aged years in the recent weeks. Much like how Keith saw in his own reflection.

Keith cautiously and slowly stepped toward her, his pulse pounding in his ears. "Allura..." he whispered, his voice choking in his throat. Her eyes closed at the sound of her name on his lips, letting several tears escape.

"Keith..." she sighed as she took a step toward him. Keith catapulted himself toward her, capturing her in his arms. He let out a sob as he inhaled her scent and let his hands smooth over her arms, feeling her skin.

"Oh, God, you're real," he whispered heavily between his cries. "It's really you."

"You're back," Allura's voice hummed at him. Her hands slid through his hair as she pressed her forehead to his. "I feel whole again...how could you leave me here?"

"Allura...I am so sorry I had to leave you...never again, never." Keith pulled her closer to him. "After loving you, I can never be the same. You are the meaning of my life. Please forgive me..." He kissed the top of her head, clutching her to him.

"Only if you never leave again," Allura murmured against his chest. "I can't live without you, Keith."

Reaching down to gently lift her chin up, Keith gazed into her eyes and lightly traced fingertips over her face. He took a step back in order to drop to a knee.

"Keith..." Allura choked out as he took her hand in his, pressing a kiss to it.

"Allura, ten years ago I pledged myself to you and Arus. Now I pledge to never leave your side again. I can't live without you. Will you have me, Allura? Will you do me the absolute honor of being my wife?" Keith let the words spill out of his heart to her. "Forgive a fool that never acted on his feelings before it was too late."

"Oh, Keith," Allura's voice trembled as she knelt with him on the ground. "You have my love and my life. Absolutely, yes!" She flung her arms around his neck. Keith gripped her tightly against him as he stood, spinning them around. Allura's feet and gown flew out behind her as they twirled, eliciting the first laugh to escape her in weeks. Keith stopped their spin and gently captured her lips with his own, cupping the back of her head. The world exploded around them as they kissed.

Senses slowly returned to them as their kiss ended. They could hear clapping and familiar cheering from their friends. As Lance approached them, grinning, Keith let go of Allura with one arm and grabbed Lance, wrapping his free arm around his shoulders. "Thank you, Lance!"

"Somebody had to get your mood swings under control," Lance chided. Keith chuckled and wrapped his arms lovingly around Allura. Pidge and Hunk joined them, hugs being given and smiles all around, as if they had never left. But this time, there was a sense of gratitude to the team. Grateful to be together and grateful to be home, they knew no power in the galaxy could separate them again.

Keith hadn't let go of his princess since the moment they touched again. "Can we start again, love?" he nuzzled into her ear.

"One last try," she murmured back to him. "It'll only last forever..."

In the distance, the lions all roared together.


End file.
